
Kuri This adorable home robot, created by Mayfield Robotics, was a big hit when it launched at CES last year. Now it returns with a host of new features, including expressions that the developers call “romojis”: Kuri can now purr with pleasure, laugh when tickled, and even sneeze.heykuri.com Courtesy Kuri
Fifty years ago, at the 1968 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Douglas Engelbart unveiled and demonstrated the use of the first computer mouse. Until then, humans had interacted with computers mainly through binary or alphanumeric input such as punch cards and keyboards. The mouse allowed us, for the first time, to touch and click in digital space. It let us imagine that we could emulate the rules and behaviors of our physical world on the screen of a computer, and by extension, it suggested that computers could help us create a new hybrid environment. With no mouse there would be no virtual reality.
It is also one of the reasons why CES is so big today. More than 3,900 exhibitors and 170,000 attendees will gather in Las Vegas this month around technologies that promise to affect every aspect of our lives—and every single one of these innovations is deeply concerned with how humans and machines interact. Some devices may not be as transformative as Engelbart’s invention (although even a smart door flap, for instance, is game changing for pet owners), but many suggest real shifts in how we might live and work someday.
Internet of Things (IoT) technologies such as smart thermostats and digital companions like Alexa or Google Home have become ubiquitous, and we are now accustomed to the idea of controlling devices through touch screens or voice commands. Now the goal is to bring back the satisfaction of haptic (touch- based) responses—with, for instance, Flic, a 21st-century smart hub that can be pushed like a 20th-century button, or Kuri, a robot companion that rumbles with a purr when she is stroked.

SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Smart-home technology isn’t just for humans—this smart door flap communicates with your pet’s microchip (or RFID tag if it isn’t microchipped) to let Fluffy into the house. Other animals cannot use the entry, and owners can manually lock the flap when they want to keep their pets indoors. surepetcare.com
Smart capabilities are also entering areas of our lives where we might not have thought we needed them. Simplehuman now has a trash can that responds to voice commands, and Wanderwatch uses on-screen prompts to encourage kids to play outside and is equipped with GPS to help parents keep track of their whereabouts.
Kids, in many ways, are the new frontier for smart technologies. A recent study found that almost all parents who own a digital assistant are comfortable letting their children use it. But regulators still have concerns about security and privacy—Germany recently banned the sale of kids’ smartwatches, labeling them “spying devices.”
IoT technologies have certainly influenced architecture and design in a general sense: Conference rooms and hotel lobbies, for example, will never be the same. But some of the devices on view at CES are concerned more fundamentally with the creative process itself.
The big focus this year is on accurately translating the real world onto digital platforms. Instrumments 01 seeks to replace all measuring tools with a single penlike device. It captures dimensions, describes curves and profiles, and even defines surfaces, and then uploads them to an app. Also, 3D cameras have become increasingly sophisticated, scanning spaces with greater accuracy and translating scans into a variety of useful formats, including 3D models and floor plans.

DeepFrame Developed by the Danish company Realfiction, DeepFrame is the world’s largest mixed-reality display. Looking through a frame, viewers can see a 3D model juxtaposed against the space they’re in—allowing for a mixed-reality experience without the aid of special glasses. realfiction.com Courtesy Realfiction
A sizable portion of the CES show floor is taken up with VR, AR, and mixed- reality offerings, all of which have implications for architects and designers. Realfiction’s DeepFrame, the world’s largest mixed-reality display, offers the tantalizing possibility that we will one day be able to stand on a build- ing site and see a yet-to-be-built structure in front of us, mapped onto the actual landscape rather than a virtual one.
One of the drawbacks of virtual reality is that it privileges the sense of sight over all others. With VR goggles on, people may see themselves in a different space, but their senses of touch and smell anchor them to whatever room their bodies are located in. True sensorial immersion is still a dream from the future, but Sensiks moves one step closer to that goal with its Sensory Reality Pods. With cabins that sync scent, temperature, and even airflow within a single VR experience, the company hopes to revolutionize treatment of dementia, PTSD, and brain damage. At the very least, it will make for an engaging, if ex- pensive, addition to a spa or hotel lobby.
Exploration was the source of inspiration for two of this year’s CES Innovation Award winners, although in different ways. Blueye Pioneer , the first professional-grade underwater drone available to consumers, allows users to peer under the ocean’s surface, even in rough waters. Meanwhile, Mars headphones, a collaboration between Japanese and Korean tech giants, break down language barriers through simultaneous translation. They are reminders that even as we continue to be enticed by digital spaces, there is still much to learn about the physical world.
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Beosound Shape This swarm of modular hexagonal wall tiles from Bang & Olufsen is actually a powerful speaker system. Each unit in the kit can serve as a speaker, an amplifier, or an acoustic damper, and the right combination can create a spectacular listening experience in any room while looking stunning on the wall. BeoSound Shape is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree.
bang-olufsen.com Courtesy Bang & Olufsen
Beosound Shape This swarm of modular hexagonal wall tiles from Bang & Olufsen is actually a powerful speaker system. Each unit in the kit can serve as a speaker, an amplifier, or an acoustic damper, and the right combination can create a spectacular listening experience in any room while looking stunning on the wall. BeoSound Shape is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree.
bang-olufsen.com Courtesy Bang & Olufsen
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Flic An inch-wide dome that can be attached anywhere and become a button to control any device, from your sound system to your phone, Flic bridges the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the human need for tactile feedback with a satisfying click.
flic.io Courtesy Flic
Flic An inch-wide dome that can be attached anywhere and become a button to control any device, from your sound system to your phone, Flic bridges the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the human need for tactile feedback with a satisfying click.
flic.io Courtesy Flic
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2018 Nissan Leaf A 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, the latest model of the Nissan Leaf brings the dream of a sustainable car ride that much closer: The 100 percent electric car now has a 150-mile range, accelerates to main- tain your speed, keeps you in your lane, and even has automatic emergency braking for your safety.
nissanusa.com Courtesy Nissan
2018 Nissan Leaf A 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, the latest model of the Nissan Leaf brings the dream of a sustainable car ride that much closer: The 100 percent electric car now has a 150-mile range, accelerates to main- tain your speed, keeps you in your lane, and even has automatic emergency braking for your safety.
nissanusa.com Courtesy Nissan
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InstruMMents 01 This award-winning penlike device is a dream come true for architects, designers, engineers, contractors, or DIY enthusiasts—anyone who relies on accurate measurements. Just run the pen along any real-world object, and it captures the curves and dimensions in an app. The 01 is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, as well as a 2017 Red Dot Product Design Award and IDEA winner.
instrumments.com Courtesy InstruMMents
InstruMMents 01 This award-winning penlike device is a dream come true for architects, designers, engineers, contractors, or DIY enthusiasts—anyone who relies on accurate measurements. Just run the pen along any real-world object, and it captures the curves and dimensions in an app. The 01 is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, as well as a 2017 Red Dot Product Design Award and IDEA winner.
instrumments.com Courtesy InstruMMents
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InstruMMents 01 This award-winning penlike device is a dream come true for architects, designers, engineers, contractors, or DIY enthusiasts—anyone who relies on accurate measurements. Just run the pen along any real-world object, and it captures the curves and dimensions in an app. The 01 is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, as well as a 2017 Red Dot Product Design Award and IDEA winner.
instrumments.com Courtesy InstruMMents
InstruMMents 01 This award-winning penlike device is a dream come true for architects, designers, engineers, contractors, or DIY enthusiasts—anyone who relies on accurate measurements. Just run the pen along any real-world object, and it captures the curves and dimensions in an app. The 01 is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, as well as a 2017 Red Dot Product Design Award and IDEA winner.
instrumments.com Courtesy InstruMMents
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InstruMMents 01 This award-winning penlike device is a dream come true for architects, designers, engineers, contractors, or DIY enthusiasts—anyone who relies on accurate measurements. Just run the pen along any real-world object, and it captures the curves and dimensions in an app. The 01 is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, as well as a 2017 Red Dot Product Design Award and IDEA winner.
instrumments.com Courtesy InstruMMents
InstruMMents 01 This award-winning penlike device is a dream come true for architects, designers, engineers, contractors, or DIY enthusiasts—anyone who relies on accurate measurements. Just run the pen along any real-world object, and it captures the curves and dimensions in an app. The 01 is a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award honoree, as well as a 2017 Red Dot Product Design Award and IDEA winner.
instrumments.com Courtesy InstruMMents
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Stigo This lightweight folding electric vehicle takes all the hurdles out of commuting sustainably in the city. It doesn’t need a bike rack, is small enough to be taken onto commuter trains and subways, and can be wheeled around like a suitcase when not being used.
stigobike.com Courtesy Stigo
Stigo This lightweight folding electric vehicle takes all the hurdles out of commuting sustainably in the city. It doesn’t need a bike rack, is small enough to be taken onto commuter trains and subways, and can be wheeled around like a suitcase when not being used.
stigobike.com Courtesy Stigo
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Stigo This lightweight folding electric vehicle takes all the hurdles out of commuting sustainably in the city. It doesn’t need a bike rack, is small enough to be taken onto commuter trains and subways, and can be wheeled around like a suitcase when not being used.
stigobike.com Courtesy Stigo
Stigo This lightweight folding electric vehicle takes all the hurdles out of commuting sustainably in the city. It doesn’t need a bike rack, is small enough to be taken onto commuter trains and subways, and can be wheeled around like a suitcase when not being used.
stigobike.com Courtesy Stigo
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Matterport Pro2 3D Camera With a single scan, this powerful camera can output a variety of ways to digitally share and communicate real-world spaces: It creates 3D models, immersive VR environments, print- ready photographs, measurements with 99 percent accuracy, floor plans, and XYZ files.
matterport.com Courtesy Matterport
Matterport Pro2 3D Camera With a single scan, this powerful camera can output a variety of ways to digitally share and communicate real-world spaces: It creates 3D models, immersive VR environments, print- ready photographs, measurements with 99 percent accuracy, floor plans, and XYZ files.
matterport.com Courtesy Matterport
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Matterport Pro2 3D Camera With a single scan, this powerful camera can output a variety of ways to digitally share and communicate real-world spaces: It creates 3D models, immersive VR environments, print- ready photographs, measurements with 99 percent accuracy, floor plans, and XYZ files.
matterport.com Courtesy Matterport
Matterport Pro2 3D Camera With a single scan, this powerful camera can output a variety of ways to digitally share and communicate real-world spaces: It creates 3D models, immersive VR environments, print- ready photographs, measurements with 99 percent accuracy, floor plans, and XYZ files.
matterport.com Courtesy Matterport
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Sensiks Sensory Reality Pod To the existing paradigms of augmented, mixed, and virtual reality, this little single-occupancy cabin adds another one: sensory reality. Through synchronized scent, temperature, airflow, tremble, taste, and light frequencies in addition to VR, the pod provides
a sensory bonanza.
sensiks.com Courtesy Sensiks
Sensiks Sensory Reality Pod To the existing paradigms of augmented, mixed, and virtual reality, this little single-occupancy cabin adds another one: sensory reality. Through synchronized scent, temperature, airflow, tremble, taste, and light frequencies in addition to VR, the pod provides
a sensory bonanza.
sensiks.com Courtesy Sensiks
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Wanderwatch This smartwatch encourages kids to play outdoors—with features for treasure hunts, tic-tac-toe, and a host of other games—while also incorporating
a GPS tracker that helps parents ensure that
the children are safe.
wanderwatch.com Courtesy Wanderwatch
Wanderwatch This smartwatch encourages kids to play outdoors—with features for treasure hunts, tic-tac-toe, and a host of other games—while also incorporating
a GPS tracker that helps parents ensure that
the children are safe.
wanderwatch.com Courtesy Wanderwatch
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Simplehuman Sensor Can with Voice Control Digital control has pervaded the kitchen, right down to the trash can. This voice-activated receptacle opens up with a simple verbal command, but also responds to a wave of the hand.
simplehuman.com Courtesy Simplehuman
Simplehuman Sensor Can with Voice Control Digital control has pervaded the kitchen, right down to the trash can. This voice-activated receptacle opens up with a simple verbal command, but also responds to a wave of the hand.
simplehuman.com Courtesy Simplehuman
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Ethereal Machines Halo Five-axis machining—along x, y, and z axes as well
as two rotary axes—has been possible with CNC machines for some time now. This nifty manufac- turing device, touted
as a revolution in “hybrid manufacturing” and honored with a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award, not only calibrates five- axis CNC machining to desktop scale but also pro- vides the ability to 3D-print along those five axes.
etherealmachines.com Courtesy Ethereal Machines
Ethereal Machines Halo Five-axis machining—along x, y, and z axes as well
as two rotary axes—has been possible with CNC machines for some time now. This nifty manufac- turing device, touted
as a revolution in “hybrid manufacturing” and honored with a 2018 CES Best of Innovations Award, not only calibrates five- axis CNC machining to desktop scale but also pro- vides the ability to 3D-print along those five axes.
etherealmachines.com Courtesy Ethereal Machines
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SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Smart-home technology isn’t just for humans—
this smart door flap communicates with your
pet’s microchip (or RFID tag if it isn’t microchipped) to let Fluffy into the house. Other animals cannot
use the entry, and owners can manually lock the
flap when they want to keep their pets indoors.
surepetcare.com Courtesy Sure Petcare
SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Smart-home technology isn’t just for humans—
this smart door flap communicates with your
pet’s microchip (or RFID tag if it isn’t microchipped) to let Fluffy into the house. Other animals cannot
use the entry, and owners can manually lock the
flap when they want to keep their pets indoors.
surepetcare.com Courtesy Sure Petcare
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SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Smart-home technology isn’t just for humans—
this smart door flap communicates with your
pet’s microchip (or RFID tag if it isn’t microchipped) to let Fluffy into the house. Other animals cannot
use the entry, and owners can manually lock the
flap when they want to keep their pets indoors.
surepetcare.com Courtesy Sure Petcare
SureFlap Microchip Pet Door Smart-home technology isn’t just for humans—
this smart door flap communicates with your
pet’s microchip (or RFID tag if it isn’t microchipped) to let Fluffy into the house. Other animals cannot
use the entry, and owners can manually lock the
flap when they want to keep their pets indoors.
surepetcare.com Courtesy Sure Petcare
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Blueye Pioneer Tested in the Arctic waters off Norway’s coast, this underwater drone
is a hardy tool for ocean exploration—it has been used to study shipwrecks, but could conceivably
be deployed for any kind of exploration in waters too rough for humans. Controllable by any smart device, it relays up to two hours of video.
blueyerobots.com Courtesy Blueye
Blueye Pioneer Tested in the Arctic waters off Norway’s coast, this underwater drone
is a hardy tool for ocean exploration—it has been used to study shipwrecks, but could conceivably
be deployed for any kind of exploration in waters too rough for humans. Controllable by any smart device, it relays up to two hours of video.
blueyerobots.com Courtesy Blueye
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Blueye Pioneer Tested in the Arctic waters off Norway’s coast, this underwater drone
is a hardy tool for ocean exploration—it has been used to study shipwrecks, but could conceivably
be deployed for any kind of exploration in waters too rough for humans. Controllable by any smart device, it relays up to two hours of video.
blueyerobots.com Courtesy Blueye
Blueye Pioneer Tested in the Arctic waters off Norway’s coast, this underwater drone
is a hardy tool for ocean exploration—it has been used to study shipwrecks, but could conceivably
be deployed for any kind of exploration in waters too rough for humans. Controllable by any smart device, it relays up to two hours of video.
blueyerobots.com Courtesy Blueye
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Line Mars Earphones With a little bit of artificial intelligence and translation technology, these earbuds can allow people speaking any two of
ten world languages to converse easily. Devel- oped by the Japanese Line Corporation and the Korean internet company Naver, these CES 2018 Best of Innovations Award–winning headphones are also powerful IoT hubs that can control other smart devices through voice commands.
linecorp.com Courtesy Line Corporation
Line Mars Earphones With a little bit of artificial intelligence and translation technology, these earbuds can allow people speaking any two of
ten world languages to converse easily. Devel- oped by the Japanese Line Corporation and the Korean internet company Naver, these CES 2018 Best of Innovations Award–winning headphones are also powerful IoT hubs that can control other smart devices through voice commands.
linecorp.com Courtesy Line Corporation
You can find our latest coverage of CES 2018 here.